Chapter 49
Katie
I woke up the next morning gloriously sore.
Sleep? Never heard of it. We’d replaced the need for rest with one for each other. Even after I’d drifted off for a little while, someone would rouse and reach for me, and then I’d be clawing at their back or their shoulders, riding them to another screaming orgasm. A cautious scratch at the door had my head jerking up and off the pillow, making clear that I wasn’t going anywhere.
Somehow, we’d all piled onto Rhys’ king size bed, and to say it was a tight fit was an understatement. I was lying enmeshed in a tangle of limbs, a cage I had no interest in escaping, until I heard a thin whine.
Bronson!
I wriggled, and that earned me a groan, then a snort, their grip on me tightening. Fighting back a little laugh, I pushed back harder, finally pushing Rhys off me. Who knew the gym bunny was a total snuggle bug? Deprived of his hold on me, he rolled over and into Garrett, the picture the two of them made as they cuddled closer was something that needed to be recorded for posterity. Right as I went looking for my phone, a sharp bark let me know Bronson was done waiting. The guys snuffled, snorted, and started to move, letting me escape the bed. I plucked a huge t-shirt off the floor and yanked it over my head as I opened the door to a frantically wriggling Bronson.
He whined, yodelled, and sang the song of his people to me, and it became clear why. The poor boy needed outside to pee badly. I stifled my own need to do the same, putting the lead hanging by the front door on him and then letting him outside. I was yanked over to the closest tree, and thank god it was still early. The neighbours missed the sight of my bare legs as I stood there, supervising Bronson.
But the neighbour’s dog didn’t.
It started barking furiously as soon as it realised we were here, and the change in Bronson was instantaneous. Mid-pee he started for the door, leaving a trail behind him.
“Bronson!” I hissed, desperately trying to rein him in and dodge his pee trail at the same time. “Bronson!”
“Oi!”
Rhett appeared at the door, bleary eyed, but scowling at the fence. His sharp command had the other dog quietening down. Bronson went into full submissive mode, rolling over onto his belly at Rhett’s feet, only to earn himself a tummy scratch.
“Morning.”
That knowing look, that sly smile, it made clear he was still thinking of everything that had happened last night. Of course, that had me revisiting some of the highlights, the cool breeze playing over parts of me that were no doubt red raw after last night’s crazy.
“Morning,” I replied. “I should jump in the shower, get dressed. I’ve got an afternoon shift at the vets, but?—”
“Or…” He steered me towards the front door, and Bronson scuttled into the safety of the house gladly. “You could spend the morning with us.” His arm tightened around my shoulders and he pressed a kiss to my temple. That small gesture of affection, my soul slurped that up, somehow needing that more than even last night’s sex romp. “We’ve all got the day off for once. Garrett can make us some ridiculously complex breakfast.”
“Eggs Benedict on sourdough English muffins.” The man himself met us in the hallway dressed in just a pair of shorts. I saw all his hard work on display as he stretched. Yawn over, he darted forward and pressed a kiss to my cheek. “Some freshly squeezed orange juice. Maybe we could grab some of those croissants from the bakery down the road.”
“The local bakery?” Rhys emerged, scratching his stomach without a stitch on. Turns out I should’ve tugged that towel off when we first met. Then I would’ve been treated to the sight of all that muscle on display. He winked at me, making clear he saw me checking him out. “Must be letting your standards slip, Gar.” He went to muss Garrett’s hair, but the other man shoved his elbow into Rhys’ ribs. “Usually we have to trek out to some bakery in the hills where nuns roll the pastry out on their bare thighs.”
“Do not,” Garrett grumbled. “The ones down the road will do in a pinch, though there is that place…” He fished his phone out of his pocket and went to look another bakery up, only for his face to fall. “Shit.”
“What?
We all clustered closer.
“Gloria didn’t turn up for my shift.” All the lazy, good feeling was leaving the building. “Shit. Shit! My shift manager rang me… ten times. Fuck.”
“Take a breath, dude.” Rhys put a hand on his shoulder, but Garrett threw it off. “You’ve covered how many people’s shifts? That’s gotta count for something, right?”
“Not on a busy night in the ED when no one else answered their phones to take my shift,” Garrett groaned. When he shoved the phone in his pocket, I knew how this was going to go. He stepped forward with an apologetic look, cupping my jaw in his hands. “I am so sorry, but I’ve gotta go into the hospital and talk to the shift manager, see if I can smooth this over.”
“That’s why I have three boyfriends, right?”
I made myself smile, even as I felt my stomach sink. That wasn’t fair. Garrett wasn’t spacing on me. He had an actual work emergency and he needed to attend to it.
“Look after Katie,” Garrett instructed the others. “Back rubs, breakfast with some protein in it, and lots of water.” I snorted. “Babe, aftercare is important.”
“Nothing an ice pack on my nether regions can’t fix,” I said, trying not to wince and failing.
“We hurt you?” There were two Garretts, and right now the caring, gentle one had control. “Shit, I knew we went too hard last night. Paracetamol and ibuprofen can be taken at the same time, alternating one for the other every four hours, with no more than eight tablets of each taken in a twenty four hour period.”
“Go,” I said, grabbing his wrists and squeezing. “I’ll be fine. The others will just have to deal with hand jobs or blowies if they want anything from me today.”
“Mm… would your pussy feel better if I kiss it better?” Rhys slid in behind me. “I know what I want to eat for breakfast, and it's not bacon and eggs.”
“Enough sex.” Rhett stepped forward and scooped me up into his arms before carrying me down the hall. Bronson followed along, thinking this was a fine game. I was placed on the kitchen counter. “If aftercare is what’s needed, that’s what we’re doing. Now, I can make you a protein shake.” I wrinkled my nose, remembering the horrible, chalky tasting things I’d drunk in the past. “Scrambled eggs? An omelette?”
“Stick to scrambled eggs.” Garrett grabbed a bottle of water and a protein bar. “Rhett can’t flip an omelette to save his life, so it’ll just end up scrambled, anyway.” I let out a little giggle, but he pressed a kiss to my lips, silencing me. “I’ve gotta go, but will you be around tonight? I can make you dinner?”
“Maybe…” I slapped my palm to my forehead. “Actually, scratch that. Mandie organised a family dinner tonight.” Usually those words were enough to strike fear into the heart of any red blooded man, but not these three. They all went perfectly still, watching me closely. “Can I take a raincheck for tomorrow night?”
“You got it.” Garrett made for the hall. “Give me time to grab some real ingredients. How do you feel about a genuine carbonara, with no bloody cream?”
I didn’t get a chance to answer. He was in his room, having a quick shower before getting ready.
“Scrambled eggs it is.” Rhett spun a frypan around in his hand, then put it down on the range, turning the gas on. “And how about a bit of toast?”
“A girl could get used to this,” I moaned.
We were all lying on the couch now, watching the shadows shift in the late morning light. Rhett might not use artisanal eggs when cooking, but he made a massive pile of scrambled eggs we did our level best to get through.
“A girl will get used to this.” Rhys stretched me back on the couch, following me down with a little kiss to my nose. My head ended up resting on Rhett’s thigh and he stroked my hair as he stared down at me. “Now that we’ve got you right where we want you.”
“This girl needs to call work if she’s not going in,” I said, going to rise, but Rhett pushed me right back where I was. Those big, strong fingers started moving, digging into my scalp and forcing my eyes to flutter shut. Responsibilities, life, it all got shoved to the side, right up until the sound of a phone ringing cut through the air. “Shit!” I sat bolt upright. “Work.”
I was right, just not about which person’s employer was ringing. Rhett’s boss had called, not mine.
“Brent,” Rhett grunted, shooting me a sidelong look. “Yeah, I’m off… A big fire in the hills? You’ve called all the on-call guys?” You know how sometimes things feel too good to last? This was one of them. I gave him my best understanding smile. “They’re all there? Shit.”
He pulled the phone away from his ear and I knew what I was going to say. “Go,” I mouthed. I had no idea how this worked, but I was assuming that being a firefighter was a little more high key than being a receptionist. A vet nurse could sub in for me at the front desk, but the same couldn’t be said for a firie.
“Katie—”
Rhett was going to apologise and I hated that he felt he had to, so I moved forward and kissed him.
“It’s OK. Go and save the world or whatever it is you’re doing.” I glanced at my phone and saw I still had time to make my shift if I moved my arse. “I need to get going myself.”
“What?” Rhys threw himself down on the floor and wrapped his arms around my legs. “No. You’re staying.” Bronson started to bark and lunge at the two of us. “See B Dog says the same thing.”
“B Dog?” I cocked an eyebrow at the new nickname. “Well, Bronson here is going to be a very good boy for Rhys and keep him amused, and I might see him tomorrow.”
I pressed a kiss to the dog’s head, and he gave me a hearty lick in response.
“So much for the lazy morning I had planned. I was gonna let you have the remote and everything.”
Rhys threw himself back on the couch in a dramatic pose, which just stirred Bronson up. He jumped up and started licking Rhys madly. We left the two of them at it, Rhett walking me down the hallway so we could both get dressed.
“So, is it a really serious fire?” I asked as he drove me back to my place sometime later.
“Not enough back burning done after the record rains of last winter,” he told me as we pulled up outside my apartment block. “The extra rain creates unprecedented levels of growth, and because we’ve had higher than average rainfall…” He brought his truck to a stop and then smiled, turning to face me. “Letting me infodump? You really are perfect.”
“Just stay safe,” I told him, leaning forward to kiss him goodbye. “Come back to me in one piece.” I looked him up and down, now dressed in his work clothes. “That uniform? It’s giving me ideas for role plays.”
“Want me to rescue you from your parents’ place?” His voice got deeper, more intense as he stared into my eyes. “I can do that. Carry you out over my shoulder?—”
“With my parents following hot on your heels, asking questions about every aspect of your life, up to, and including, school reports and references from past employers?” I shook my head. “You don’t want that heat.”
“I do if it matters to you.” His hand flexed around the steering wheel. “Whatever you need me to do.”
My lips moistened, my mouth wanting to form the words that sat there in my chest, not even formed into sentences yet.
“Go and fight that fire.” That wasn’t what I was thinking, but it needed to be said. “And stay safe.”
I reached for the door then, forcing myself to get out before I changed my mind and dragged him back towards me.
“Katie.” I was doing so well, marching towards our stairs, when I heard Rhett call out to me. “Ibuprofen and paracetamol.” His eyes slid down my considerably more bedraggled form as if I was wearing the finest of couture. “I need you fighting fit for the next time I see you.”
Deep inside me, I could feel a pulse flutter, reminding me of everything that happened last night. I’d raid the medicine cupboard and have the meds lined up, ready to take every four hours if that’s what it took to have a repeat performance. I didn’t tell him that, just turned and ran upstairs with a grin on my face.